Civilization

The others departed, but on the human side, King Dazhou and his cohort had not yet left. In truth, King Dazhou was not the only one lingering. Several ancient race powerhouses had slipped into the void alongside the Hou King, whispering among themselves—whether they were headed for the Mingguang Realm or sneaking off to hunt the Immortals was anyone's guess. After all, what Su Yu had painted sounded sweet and enticing, and several old monsters had been sorely tempted. Every single one of them was a terrifying beast! The Hou King, the old Golden Crow, and a few great demons that clearly looked like trouble. These fellows had slipped away in secret, perhaps off to pull off something momentous. Just as Su Yu turned to head back into the city, King Dazhou called out, "Su Yu, wait a moment. Can we talk?" Su Yu was surprised. The Old Turtle wanted a chat? About what? King Dazhou's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at Su Yu. The "Calamity" divine character in Su Yu's mind stirred, startling him. *Damn it, with my current strength, did he sense me just thinking to myself?* *He can't be that monstrous, right?* *Old Turtle?* Su Yu muttered internally once more without opening his sea of will. Across from him, King Dazhou's brow twitched faintly, and he cast Su Yu a peculiar look. *Old Turtle?* Su Yu jabbed in his thoughts again. King Dazhou cleared his throat and let out an easy chuckle. "Su Yu, how about a word? And... why harbor such hostility toward me?" "None at all!" Su Yu denied it instantly, shaking his head. "Your Majesty King Dazhou is the foremost expert of the human race! A Half-Emperor concealing his true might, guarding humanity in secret—you are our greatest contributor, sheltering us for centuries. I could never thank you enough!" "..." King Dazhou looked at him speechlessly. Behind him, Niu Baidao could not help but chime in, "Su Yu, watch your tongue! The myriad races might take you seriously!" There was no need for wild fabrications; if the myriad races took that as fact, King Dazhou would be in grave danger. It was natural that Su Yu was on poor terms with the Great Zhou Prefecture. After all, they had clashed for years. Yet King Dazhou ranked among the top three experts in the Human Realm. If Su Yu truly framed him into a trap, the human race would suffer an unbearable loss. Su Yu laughed. "Just flattering him a bit! If the myriad races actually believe it, then they're absolute idiots! If I say he's a Half-Emperor, he's a Half-Emperor? Then I could claim King Daqin, the Great Ming Prefecture, and King Daxia are all Half-Emperors too! Those fools won't take it seriously!" "..." What an arrogant bastard! There were still many people lingering on the island. Su Yu paid them no mind. Grinning down at the crowd below, he said, "Look! Look closely and listen well! I'm afraid you won't get another chance in your next life! Why don't you come pledge allegiance to me, and I'll give you a chance to turn into dead spirits?" His grin revealed blackened teeth as death qi leaked from him, his eyes chillingly dark. *I'm dying anyway—why would I fear any of you!* Everyone grasped his meaning instantly. A flock of beings fled in haste. The guy had gone completely mad; there was no need to provoke him, nor could they afford to. Everything Su Yu had displayed today made them realize that this madman truly was losing his mind. He was young, blessed with peerless talent! Now, Year 351 had just concluded, ushering in Anping Year 352. Su Yu was exactly twenty years old. First on the Heaven Ranking, hegemon of the ancient cities, endowed with talent that commanded awe—if anyone of such caliber learned their life was about to end, they would likely lose their sanity just the same. Finding it impossible to accept was only natural. Once madmen like this truly broke loose at death's door, they could unleash unimaginable catastrophe. That was why the various races were remarkably tolerant toward Su Yu right now. Even when he snatched over a hundred quotas and auctioned off dozens, the myriad races had not imposed many hurdles or caused trouble. Why bother quarreling with a madman who could bring immense grief to Invincibles when everyone knew he did not have long to live? Losing one's own life over spite—would that not be a fool's bargain? That was the primary reason the myriad races treated him with such leniency, not merely because he was a city lord. No matter how powerful the stone statues were, could they truly overturn an entire realm? If they were truly that mighty, the Gods and Demons would not rule the myriad realms. The various races naturally possessed their own ultimate trump cards. They only feared Su Yu because he was on the verge of death. A dying man was truly a nightmare to deal with. Those onlookers fled for their lives, and before long, the entirety of Tianxia Island fell silent. Now, only a few humans remained in the area. King Dazhou extended the invitation once more. "Can we talk?" "I don't have the time, I'm too busy..." At that moment, someone finally reached his limit and burst out with indignation, "Su Yu! No matter what, you are still a human! For more than four hundred years, His Majesty King Dazhou has sheltered mankind, protecting billions of common folk, repeatedly bleeding and waging war for humanity's sake! Even if you are peerlessly gifted, even if you stand invincible in the world, does that give you the right to treat His Majesty with such contempt?" "Did your Su family sprout from the Allheaven Battlefield over these past four centuries?" "While in the Human Realm, you enjoyed more than a decade of peace and prosperity no matter what! And now, just because a handful of people targeted you, you paint everyone with the same brush and direct your fury even at His Majesty and the others?" It was an expert from the Great Zhou Prefecture, relatively young, his voice laced with righteous anger. "Treating His Majesty with such disrespect chills people's hearts! Su Yu, do you think this is appropriate?" Su Yu smiled. He glanced at the man, then back toward King Dazhou and the others, chuckling softly. "Indeed, it isn't quite appropriate! By age, he is a senior! By merit, his illustrious achievements are far beyond anything I, Su Yu, can compare to. I've contributed nothing to humanity. Those eighteen years of peace and prosperity truly depended on the protection of you Invincibles! By strength, I fall far short. What's more, King Dazhou even granted me a bit of guidance, since I once outlined his divine character. Thus, by reason and sentiment alike, I shouldn't act this way..." The man looked somewhat mollified. Yet Su Yu retained his smile, his tone turning playful. "However... I just want to ask: when the Liu family was wiped out, was His Majesty King Dazhou truly unaware, or did he know and simply choose not to intervene? Just that one question, nothing else! Oh, right, and one more thing: when those martial uncles and seniors I never even met were slaughtered, was His Majesty unaware, or did he know and stand by idly?" Su Yu beamed. "Of course, when it comes to the Liu family, my only real bond is with Teacher Liu. Those martial uncles and seniors, I never even laid eyes on them! I never even met my senior sister's parents... But I am a petty, vengeful man! If His Majesty King Dazhou states today that he knew nothing of all this, I, Su Yu, will kowtow and apologize. I'll admit I'm a worthless piece of trash who shouldn't even be considered human for treating a hero of humanity—a hero who sheltered us—with such an attitude! Your Majesty, tell me: did you know?" He stared directly at King Dazhou. King Dazhou looked back at him, and after a long silence, he said softly, "I knew something of it." Su Yu chuckled. The expression of the man behind King Dazhou shifted drastically. He turned toward King Dazhou and blurted, "Your Majesty, you..." King Dazhou raised a hand, his tone calm. "Once done, there is no fear of people knowing or talking. Su Yu, it may sound harsh to your ears, but to me, and to many others... your faction was indeed an abandoned pawn. There is no need to deny it." Su Yu laughed heartily. "King Dazhou is straightforward! That's exactly what I wanted to hear! From the grand perspective of the human race, making us abandoned pawns was a bargain! Using a few lives in exchange for multiple Invincibles attaining the Dao, for the execution of King Fenhai, for a massive leap in human strength, and for fifty years of peace—truly a bargain! But as the pawns who were discarded... can anyone blame us for resenting you?" King Dazhou replied placidly, "No. Resentment is only natural. Since you put it so plainly, let us be even more direct: if no one in your faction had risen to prominence, you would simply have been sacrificed. Such is reality; there is no point in arguing." Su Yu chuckled. "Exactly! That's why I didn't say much. But your subordinate here seemed rather displeased, acting as though I had snubbed you. But... did Your Majesty truly expect me to prostrate myself before you in worship?" "Su Yu!" In the distance, Liu Wenyan snapped, cutting Su Yu off. He turned toward King Dazhou, bowing slightly. "Forgive him, Your Majesty; he is still young. For humanity's sake, sacrificing a few to elevate others is the right course. My Liu family considers it an honor!" Su Yu chuckled faintly. "My teacher speaks truly. Sacrificing a minor Liu family in exchange for multiple members of the Zhou family attaining the Dao was an extraordinary bargain from the Zhou family's perspective! If it were me, sacrificing a few of the Zhou family so that my teacher could attain the Dao, or so my father could attain the Dao... I would think it a bargain too! Every man for himself, or heaven and earth destroy him. There is no need to make a fuss. After all, King Dazhou didn't personally strike the blow. The crux is simply this: what is done is done, but once it's done, there's no need to insist that we treat you as benefactors, is there?" Su Yu grinned. "If I sacrificed members of the Zhou family to help my own kin attain the Dao, would I then go to the Zhou family's descendants and tell them, 'You must understand me, I did it all for humanity, so you ought to worship me as a hero'? That wouldn't be appropriate, would it? Even though my kin became Invincibles and would also shelter humanity, I wouldn't force the Zhou family's descendants to revere me as a hero, would I?" Silence fell over the crowd. King Dazhou nodded, offering a gentle smile. "You make a valid point. There is no need to treat me with deference. What is done is done. One can only say our stances differ, and I will not concede that what I did was wrong. Su Yu, what do you think?" Su Yu nodded. "To everyone else, you weren't wrong; you were completely right! After all, it wasn't their skin off their backs, and humanity grew stronger, so everyone benefited. But toward those directly harmed, I think you shouldn't demand such piety. Wouldn't Your Majesty agree?" "I agree!" King Dazhou nodded. Su Yu smiled. "That's good. I knew Your Majesty was a reasonable man! Cultured, educated people always like being reasonable! Only idiots indulge in moral extortion, demanding that the victims accept the perpetrator's apology and declaring them unreasonable if they refuse. As if you could kill my entire family and expect me to forgive you just because you said sorry—hardly fitting, right?" The man behind King Dazhou flushed slightly, gritting his teeth. "Yet His Majesty was not the murderer..." Su Yu beamed. "And did I claim I was going to beat King Dazhou to death? As a leader of humanity, King Dazhou sat back and watched the Liu family get wiped out. He is no ordinary person; he is a law enforcer. When a law enforcer watches a heinous crime unfold and remains completely indifferent, tell me, does the law enforcer bear responsibility? If I went to the Great Zhou Prefecture and slaughtered your entire household while King Dazhou stood right there watching indifferently, would he still be a hero in your heart? If you believe so, I wouldn't mind putting it to the test with you!" The man's gaze wavered. Thoroughly disheartened, he lowered his head and held his tongue. The mood grew complicated. Perhaps... he had not been a victim, so he could not truly understand. And though Su Yu had not been there either, he was Liu Wenyan's disciple, the heir to the multiple divine character faction. He refused to accept any of it and would never revere King Dazhou—and that was his prerogative. King Dazhou did not say much more, nor did he interrupt Su Yu, allowing him to speak his mind. Once Su Yu finished, King Dazhou said softly once again, "Can we talk now?" Su Yu smiled. "Of course. It would be my honor!" King Dazhou glanced at the three stone statues and said softly, "Can they..." "No, they can't!" Su Yu shook his head, smiling. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Unless I drop dead, these esteemed seniors shouldn't act against me." King Dazhou chuckled and said no more. The world blurred before Su Yu's eyes, and in an instant, darkness enveloped everything around them. Opposite him, King Dazhou stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at Su Yu. After a long silence, he sighed. "A pity. Had I known you possessed such talent, I would have kept you in the Human Realm no matter the cost." Su Yu laughed. "It wouldn't have been the same. Had I stayed in the Human Realm, I might never have possessed my current talent. Talent is just empty talk—don't take it too seriously! If I hadn't witnessed all of this, hadn't endured all of this, where would my perspective and talent have come from? I refuse to believe that among the multiple divine character cultivators hidden by the various prefectures, there aren't a few with immense talent. I imagine they are quite gifted, but why do they lack strength? Because they lack perspective and experience. Their ceiling is the Sun Moon Realm, the Invincibles; to them, Invincibles must be worshipped with reverence. But in my eyes, even Invincibles can be slaughtered!" "Even Invincibles can be slaughtered..." King Dazhou murmured the words, then nodded. "Indeed, even Invincibles can be slaughtered! Invincibility is not absolute. In these myriad realms, who dares claim true invincibility?" He smiled, quickly regaining his composure, and looked at Su Yu. "Do you still have hope of breaking free?" Su Yu smiled. "It depends on luck, but it's not entirely hopeless! For example, severing the death qi channel and slaying Monarch Xingyue might just do the trick!" King Dazhou asked calmly, "If the human race were willing to slay Xingyue for your sake, would you be willing to return to humanity?" Su Yu gave a dry laugh. "Your Majesty jokes! Monarch Xingyue is a dead spirit monarch. Slaying her might summon a Half-Emperor dead spirit, or something even stronger! Sacrificing Invincibles just for a Lingyun whose heart no longer belongs to humanity—I could never bear such a burden!" How strange! Was King Dazhou testing him, or being serious? Besides, he wouldn't let them touch his precious Xingyue. What an adorable girl she was, his universal power bank! Whoever tried to kill Xingyue was making an enemy of him! King Dazhou fell silent for a moment. "You need not harbor hostility toward me, or rather, whether you despise me is irrelevant. None of that matters. What I truly wish to ask is: if you break free, do you believe you have hope of walking farther than Ye Batian? Can you unlock the suppression power of the human race?" This had been King Dazhou's stance for years. He never advocated waging war abroad; he had only one singular goal: unlock the Human Realm's suppression power first. From beginning to end, he had never truly been putting on an act. That genuinely was his only objective. King Dazhou continued, "Among the myriad races, the so-called Invincible Civilization Masters are mere jokes! Only among humanity might an Invincible Civilization Master truly be invincible! Yet this path is difficult, far too difficult to tread! Ye Batian couldn't do it, Nan Wujiang couldn't do it, Yun Chen couldn't do it, Wan Tiansheng couldn't do it... Xia Chen couldn't do it either!" Shaking his head gently, King Dazhou said softly, "And now, Liu Wenyan, hailed as the second Ye Batian, possesses formidable talent, yet he still falls short. He can never reach that realm. Su Yu, do you believe you can?" Just as Su Yu prepared to speak, King Dazhou added solemnly, "Do not bluff or brush me off; there is no need. Su Yu, if you truly believe you can make it, if you can reach that stage, return to the human race. I will support your journey. And not just me—many others will support you to the end. I dare not speak for everyone, but over a dozen Eternals would walk this path alongside me, all the way!" Su Yu's eyes flickered, but he soon shook his head. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, King Dazhou. Perhaps if I say I can do it now, I might genuinely receive Your Majesty's backing! Unfortunately... I don't need it, nor does it matter! Besides, I have never given a damn about unlocking the human race's suppression power!" Su Yu chuckled playfully. "Besides, didn't Your Majesty ask what I would do if I became a Human King? Why didn't you ask what I would do if I became the Human Sovereign?" King Dazhou looked surprised. He gazed at Su Yu and asked, "Then... what if you were the Human Sovereign?" Su Yu said indifferently, "Those who refuse to submit, kill! Those who disobey, kill! The myriad races would bow in homage, and I alone would reign supreme! As for suppression power, does the Human Realm truly possess it? Does it really? Does it!" Three times he asked, his gaze turning icy. "King Dazhou, I think you are all dreaming! When all races pay homage to me and no one under heaven dares resist, why on earth would I need suppression power! If I fail against the myriad races, humanity declines! If my descendants cannot measure up, let them rise again; if they fail to rise, they have no right to be hegemons and deserve to be eliminated! The myriad races operate by the law of the jungle! Why would anyone construct some suppression power to bind their own hands? It's utterly meaningless!" King Dazhou stared at him, mouth slightly open. After a long while, he murmured, "There is none? No... that cannot be!" Had he considered that possibility? Of course he had! Yet he—and many other humans—clung to it as their final retreat, their ultimate hope. He could not say it aloud, nor would he permit anyone else to speak it. It existed! The suppression power had to exist, and it had to be unlockable! The Human Realm would become their safest sanctuary! It could not be as Su Yu described—it simply could not be! King Dazhou exhaled softly. "Su Yu, do you know that your words are exceedingly harsh? Words like yours will only plunge people into despair, not kindle hope! Do you truly believe such words can drive men to fight to the death? No, they cannot. Driven by despair, outcomes you never imagined might come to pass!" "Nothing more than betrayal!" Su Yu laughed. "Perhaps someone already considered that long ago, or even acted on it! You, King Dazhou, offer people hope, but Invincibles aren't fools—did you think they all bought into it? If even I could think of this, has no one else ever wondered whether humanity's suppression power even exists? I imagine King Fenhai's betrayal wasn't merely because the Fifth Generation bullied him. Perhaps it was born of sheer despair, driving him to make such a choice." King Dazhou looked at him, sighed, and said, "I understand your meaning. Then... let me ask one final question. If a day comes when the human race needs you, will you return?" "That depends." Su Yu replied calmly, "If I can lend a hand, I don't mind helping out. At the end of the day, I am still human! But if you expect me to sacrifice myself, forget it! Expect me to sacrifice my own life to save the entire world? Sacrifice my father to save you all? Sacrifice my teacher to save humanity? Cast aside the small self to complete the greater good? I am no saint yet. Once I become one, perhaps I will give a different answer." King Dazhou exhaled slowly and nodded. "That is enough. Hearing you say you wouldn't mind lending a hand is already enough. I spoke of these matters today with no ulterior motive. If the day comes when you wish to free yourself from this body, you may seek me out in the Human Realm!" "Thank you, Your Majesty. However... that day will likely never come. Perhaps by then, I would rather march straight into the Realm of the Dead!" King Dazhou's body trembled slightly. He glanced sideways at Su Yu, then vanished before him. Su Yu stepped out of the secluded space. Outside, the humans—including Liu Wenyan and the others—were instantly whisked away by King Dazhou. Su Yu smiled faintly and turned toward the ancient city. The stone statues materialized. Yunxiao remarked curiously, "I don't think he was lying. If you returned, he might truly have helped you deal with Xingyue to regain your freedom. Sheltered by him in the Human Realm, I imagine you would be safer. That man... is very strong!" Xinghong added in a deep voice, "Extremely powerful! Su Yu, he gave me the impression that while he may not have stepped into Dao Integration, he might... not be without a chance to battle one who has. Yunxiao and I might have to undo our petrification completely to match him." Su Yu was startled. "What does Senior mean?" "Right now, we are not truly liberated. Our petrified state appears undone, but it isn't, because we must guard the passages! That man felt stronger than I am in my petrified state." In short, he was exceedingly strong. Su Yu was not entirely surprised. He nodded. "He's certainly powerful! I've always suspected he might not be weaker than King Daqin. He is insidious, remarkably patient—even if you killed his son, he might not unleash his full might." With that, Su Yu grinned. "Still, I don't like him! Perhaps he embodies the temperament of a true leader of humanity, capable of guiding mankind farther and safer, but... disliking someone is just disliking someone! Perhaps it's because I'm young, or because my friends and family were affected. Even if they weren't, I still wouldn't like him. Those on different paths cannot make plans together; my philosophy fundamentally clashes with his!" Xinghong smiled. "Is that so? Would you tell me your philosophy?" "Mine?" Su Yu chuckled. "Nothing profound. My philosophy is simple: fight if you can win; yield if you can't; if yielding fails, fight with your life; if fighting with your life fails, bite off a piece of flesh even in death; and if you can't bite through, then die... That's all!" Xinghong laughed. "And what about him?" "Him?" Su Yu pondered for a moment. "I don't know him well, but I have a general impression. He is the type who endures. When he can't win, he yields; if yielding fails, while I would fight with my life, he yields even further—yielding to the point where he can smile even if someone spits in his face! Until one day, when he believes he can finally win, he turns hostile! The result is, he might indeed win in the end, but the journey will be filled with humiliation! And I refuse to let the journey be nothing but humiliation, even if I end up losing!" Xinghong smiled. "To me, you seem far more reckless. Perhaps he is right." Su Yu shrugged. "I never said he was wrong. But... I don't like him. No matter how grand the reasoning, it can't change my distaste for him!" "Fair enough!" Xinghong chuckled. "It's just that you're still young..." "I hope I never live to be old!" Su Yu cut him off, smiling. "It is precisely because I am young that I dare say this. If I truly grew old and weathered by the storms of life, I might be even worse than him! But because I am young, I can't stand the sight of him!" Xinghong said nothing more. Yunxiao, on the other hand, chuckled brightly. "Well said! Being young is wonderful! Only the young have drive! Countless eras ago, we were young too. Back then, our ideals were magnificent—to sweep clean the Realm of the Dead! Yet here we are, guarding the passages for untold eons, our ancient passion and fervor long extinguished." *Wait, you used to be a hot-blooded youth too?* Su Yu muttered internally. Yunxiao smiled and said, "If there's nothing else, I'm heading back to my holy city! By the way, the Minister of the Heaven Division from the Hunting Heaven Pavilion shouldn't be someone from the ancient era. However... he might be a powerhouse from a few eras ago. He felt somewhat familiar, but his concealment was too deep for me to tell who he was." Xinghong nodded. "He felt somewhat familiar to me as well. I might have seen him before, but... he is indeed not one of the survivors from the ancient era. Otherwise, I would have sensed something." Su Yu nodded. Good enough to know; it wouldn't affect him much. Did that mean the East Pavilion Master of the Hunting Heaven Pavilion was the only true antique from the ancient era? Who knew! The Hunting Heaven Pavilion had maintained an unusually low profile this time. Such a colossal organization had only scraped together forty quotas. Who knew what they were thinking? Wealthy as they were, they hadn't bought any when Su Yu put his up for sale. Securing just forty quotas—did they truly need only that many, or had many of their operatives blended into the various races to enter alongside them? Before long, Su Yu entered the city. As for the quotas, he distributed them: one per city, leaving the choice of delegate to them! The remaining sixteen went to the great demons; whether they survived inside was no concern of his. After handing those out, Su Yu still held eleven quotas. He would see how things stood with Liu City regarding those eleven. This time, the human race had secured very few quotas—420 in total, plus the 10 bought by King Dazhou and Qin Zhen, bringing the total to 430. Divided evenly, that wouldn't even amount to 10 per Invincible. Earlier, they had selected candidates assuming twenty per Invincible! With so many people, even though several had fought on behalf of Liu City, that didn't guarantee they would receive many quotas. If they fell short, Su Yu could supply a few—at the very least, he needed to provide one for Wu Lan. If Wu Lan didn't even get a quota, how could he disguise himself as her? Then again... would disguising himself as Wu Lan truly work? Su Yu sighed. *I'm getting more shameless by the day. Why am I already contemplating this? It was just a passing thought; it doesn't mean I actually have to disguise myself as her. There are plenty of men—why fixate on her?* *How bizarre!* *Impersonating my teacher would be better than impersonating her.* *Forget it. Teacher has his own opportunities, and as my master, Bai Feng is bound to attract trouble. The myriad races will likely keep an eye on him too. Best drop the idea.* Setting the thought aside, Su Yu returned to the City Lord Manor, retrieved several materials, and stared at them for a time. The earlier idea resurfaced in his mind. The Records of the Myriad Races! Should he compile the Records of the Myriad Races? Su Yu tapped the arm of his chair gently, thoughts rippling through his head. The Records of the Myriad Races... was this his Dao? Or was it an obsession of his? Or perhaps an influence from the golden booklet? When the thought had struck him, a divine character had spontaneously formed, joining together to create the word "Civilization." That was what felt so peculiar—it signified that he had attained some comprehension, aligning with something fundamental, allowing such a character to be born. Did the Records of the Myriad Races align with his Dao? The Dao of Civilization? He retrieved the two divine characters: "Wen" and "Ming," which formed "Civilization." At present, the two remained fused. The "Wen" character possessed a property that amplified the power of other divine characters, acting as a magnifier. What, then, was the function of the "Ming" character? "Ming... clear, comprehend, understand, tomorrow?" Su Yu muttered to himself, unsure. A test would reveal the truth. He brought out the divine characters. The little fur ball was curled atop them, snoring away. Su Yu could not be bothered to chide it; lately, the creature had been living a life of leisure, often snoring loudly in its sleep. With a casual flick, he tossed the little fur ball aside. The creature opened its eyes, glanced at Su Yu, and yawned aggrievedly. Deciding against a fuss, it went back to sleep, soon re-entering his sea of will to curl atop the "Calamity" divine character. This time Su Yu ignored it. Staring intently at the two characters before him, he felt as though he had grasped something, yet understood nothing at all. Soon, Su Yu ignited the Fire of Inheritance, and his willpower began to burn. His mind cleared considerably, and looking upon the divine character once more brought a different sensation. His eyes flickered, and suddenly he snatched the little fur ball back into his hand. Ignoring its aggrieved expression, he shoved the divine character toward its mouth. The little fur ball panicked! A fishing trap! The fragrant one wanted to fish it! It knew this routine all too well! It cried out frantically, "Not eating! I'm definitely not eating! Beat me to death and I still won't eat! I'm not that kind of ball! Fragrant one, let me explain..." "..." "More like let you make excuses!" Su Yu snorted, frowning. "I'm not feeding it to you, so shut up and open your mouth! Your constitution is bizarre—divine characters won't fuse into your body. You might truly be the avatar of a divine character, you weird thing!" "..." The little fur ball felt depressed. *Not feeding it to me?* *Then you want me to hold it in my mouth and lick it?* *What a strange hobby!* Even so, it obediently swallowed the divine character, holding it in its mouth to lick. It smelled wonderful—even more fragrant than the "Calamity" character! After a mere nap, the fragrant one had produced such a delicious divine character. It yearned to swallow it, but fearing the fragrant one was fishing and would beat it to death, it abandoned the idea. Meanwhile, Su Yu began manipulating the divine character, activating its unique trait. His vision blurred, and fragmented visions flashed before him, dizzying and complex... In that moment, he seemed to hear a voice. *The fragrant one definitely wants to fish me. This ball won't fall for it...* Su Yu felt as though his consciousness no longer belonged to him. In that instant, he seemed to merge into the little fur ball, glimpsing something from the past! He seemed to have returned to days spent in the Ancient Devouring God Realm; he saw the towering Heaven Origin Ancient Tree, and he saw an enormous fur ball... The next instant, that colossal fur ball looked up curiously, meeting his gaze. Darkness rushed over Su Yu's vision, and his consciousness plummeted back into his own body. Opening his eyes, he found the little fur ball staring wide-eyed at him, remarking curiously, "Fragrant one, I just had a dream. It was so weird—it felt like I went home..." Su Yu froze, a flurry of thoughts surging through his mind. What a bizarre divine character! He had actually merged into the little fur ball and witnessed the past! What did this signify? Civilization... What did this have to do with civilization? Su Yu was dazed. Civilization... merging... could "Civilization" allow him to truly experience being part of the myriad races? Only by integrating could one truly comprehend the civilizations of the myriad races? Lan Tian's clones carried a similar concept: blending into the myriad races, becoming them, and ultimately integrating the Daos of the myriad races. Was that what it meant? Or was it merely his own imagination? Su Yu sank into deep contemplation, momentarily lost in a daze. ... Meanwhile, within the Ancient Devouring God Realm, the big fur ball stared at the sky, lost in thought. After a long while, it muttered, "What a strange feeling..." Beside it, a slightly smaller fur ball asked curiously, "Dear, what's wrong? Has your injury not healed yet?" "No..." The big fur ball stared into the sky, grumbling, "I felt like someone was peeking at me, yet it also felt like our little fellow... How strange. Never mind, back to sleep. A nap will fix it!" What a strange feeling indeed!